Abstract

Redline Networks, Inc. commissioned The Tolly Group to evaluate its T|X 2100 Real-Time acceleration Appliance, a purpose-built device that intercepts HTTP requests from browser-based clients before they reach a Web server and that accelerates Web page downloads by using a blend of compression, multiplexing of client request over persistent HTTP connections and TCP processing offload to speed server response times.

Redline’s T|X 2100 Real-Time Acceleration Appliance is designed to improve end-to-end Web performance by sitting in front of a Web server and accelerating delivery of both static and dynamically generated pages. According to Tolly’s evaluation, the appliance speeds browser response by combining compression, multiplexing of client requests across persistent HTTP connections, and TCP processing offload, reducing the burden on backend servers while improving user experience for modem and broadband clients alike.  

Tolly tested the T|X 2100 with two common server environments: a Dell PowerApp.web 120 running Windows 2000 Advanced Server with IIS 5.0, and a Sun Enterprise 450 running Solaris 8 with Apache 1.3.9. Against the Dell server, the T|X 2100 reduced total page download times from a baseline range of 9.8 to 37.4 seconds down to roughly 1.9 to 3.6 seconds, while cutting time to first byte from as much as 14 seconds to 0.292 seconds. The appliance also extended the server’s error-free transmission rate from 150 to 300 connections per second, at which point the 100Mbit/s NIC became saturated.  

With the Sun Enterprise 450, the gains were similarly substantial. Baseline connection times ranged from 0.09 to 6.0 seconds, but with the T|X 2100 active they improved to roughly 0.07 to 0.5 seconds. Time to first byte improved by as much as 70%, and total download times dropped by up to 72%, reaching a range of 1.9 to 9.8 seconds. Error-free transmission capacity increased from 10 to 200 connections per second, and the server continued to 300 connections per second with only 0.25% error.  

The report attributes these gains to the appliance’s architecture. Rather than forcing the Web server to manage TCP setup, teardown, and flow control for every downstream client, the T|X 2100 maintains persistent TCP sessions, multiplexes HTTP requests to the server, and returns optimized responses to clients. Tolly positions the result as a significant increase in Web server scalability and responsiveness, with improvements of up to 11x in Web page delivery and as much as 20x greater error-free connection capacity depending on the server platform and workload.  

Note: Redline Networks was founded in 2000 and was acquired by Juniper Networks in 2005. The products based on Redline technology were discontinued in early 2008 failing to compete against Citrix NetScaler and F5.